Our agony, by parents of Co-pilot Sowole

The Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos suburb home of the Sowoles was enveloped in gloom yesterday.

Parents of Navy Lt. David Adeyemi Sowole, 32, the co-pilot of the ill-fated Navy helicopter that crashed on Saturday sat forlorn at their 28, Akintoye Street home, mourning their son and breadwinner.

He died along with five others, including Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa and ex-National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. Owoye Azazi.

Lt. Sowoye got married on March 26, last year to Eniola. Their daughter, Teniola, was born barely nine months ago.

His parents – Prince Solomon Kolawole Sowole and his wife, Olufunke – recounted their last conversation with their son and how they heard the tragic news on a newspaper review programme in which the names of the victims of the chopper crash were announced Sunday morning.

Pa Sowole recounted the shock he went through when he heard his son’s name on “Koko inu Iwe Iroyin”, a Yoruba language newspaper review programme.

He said neigbours, who also heard his name on the programme, rushed to his home to commiserate with the family.

He described his son as “a very gentle, honest, humble, trustworthy and highly disciplined person, who does not want people to deceive other people”. “He was a man who believed in sincerity to all and malice to none.”

He said his death is painful to the family.

Mrs Kolawole said her son called her Friday evening and assured her that he would be back in Lagos as soon as he was through with an official assignment he was handling.

She said the late Lt. Sowole was initially due to be back in Lagos on Saturday, the day he flew in the crashed helicopter.

Olufunke said she discussed with her son for about 20 minutes on the telephone and that there was no sign that something would go wrong.

“He called me several times and asked me to go to the hospital. When I would not go, he called his father and insisted that he must make me to go to the hospital.

“He asked after everybody in the house. It never occurred to me that he would not be back,” she lamented.

Sowole said when his son called him on Friday, it was from Warri, Delta State, where he went on a relief duty for three weeks. He said he had instructions to stay back in Warri because he would be involved in a special assignment.

The elder Sowole said: “On Friday, his mother said she was weak generally in the body and he asked me to take her to the hospital. He had earlier called my wife and they discussed. Thereafter, he asked me to arrange to take her to the hospital.

“During the night, my wife could not sleep and was complaining of body pains. At about 6 am on Saturday, his younger brother drove their mother to the hospital,” he said.

Sowole said he discussed with his son about his job. “I asked him about his job and he told me it was okay. He asked after everybody, his brothers, his sisters, his mother and every other member of the family. “

Sowole said Lt. Sowole called his wife, when he was about to board the chopper at Okoroba for Port Harcourt that fateful Saturday and assured her that he would be back soon.

According to him, the family became apprehensive when they heard the news on the radio on Saturday that there was a helicopter crash somewhere in Bayelsa State.

“We called all his mobile phone numbers, but we couldn’t make any contact with him. When I visited his mother in the hospital, I couldn’t tell her anything because of the state of her health.

“While we were listening to the news on the television that night, a boy came from Warri to Lagos and called his younger brother, Owolabi. I found the call rather unusual and concluded that something must have happened.

“The boy who called asked after me. When we asked him what the matter was all about, he could not bring himself to tell me what happened. But he assured me that there was nothing to worry about, that he saw my son a few minutes earlier. Notwithstanding what he said, I was not settled.”

I am grieved and short of word than to pray that God should grant his family the spirit to bear his lost.

Sylvester Niyi

What an agony! Terrible! God in His infinite mercy will grant the entire family the fortitude to bear the great loss. May God grant him eternal rest. ADIEU!

Chris

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

afowowe chris

What a sad story

Salvage

Lt. David Adeyemi Sowole, an innocent victim of the Kaduna State Muslims internal political war of self destruction and the same of the Bayelsa State key people.

Military aircrafts are well maintained. The helicopter was no doubt sabotaged. Either the Niger Delta militant sea pirates that are at war with the Navy were bought to shoot the helicopter down, a small device was planted in it or the pilot decided to do his own suicide for the Kaduna Muslims, knowing that would claim the lives of Azazi and Yakowa that were on board the helicopter.

Young man, Lt. David Adeyemi Sowole, may your soul rest in perfect peace. When you reincarnate, you will live a long life and never to be a victim of other people self-made trouble.

Gen Olusegun Obasanjo

I agree with you salvage, its either a timed explosive device was used or the chopper was hit directly by munition hence its bursting into flame in mid air, Othman Danfodio boys on rampage again, muslims whats your gain to inherit earth and lose heavenly paradise? repent before its too late for the end of the world is near.

mangai ahmadu

Please do not be sentimental about your judgement. I am a christian, and my Bible tells me there is time for everything under the sun; a Time to be born and a time to die. Let us rather accept this as the act of God. Dead can come in various forms. this one has unfortunately occurred through this ugly means. The most important thing is to Live as if it is our Last day on earth. No one will escape dead, it is a common faith of all; a common doom for humanity. Both the rich and the poor will die; both the educated and the illiterate, both the righteous and the wicket, all must die. But how ready are we to face this reality.
May God Grand all Nigerians who are Touched by this ugly incident comfort.

OluJay

There is no evidence in this news report that the Naval High Command has officially visited to inform the family of Lt. Sowole (including the wife who is most probably the next-of-kin) of this tragic incident and commiserate with them. If this is case, then it is in bad taste. The Naval Command should have appropriate procedures for this kind of situation. Everyone is falling over each other to visit and commiserate with the families of the ‘high and mighty’ yet no one has thought fit to visit (not even the Naval Command, going by the reports) the families of the pilots to officially inform and commiserate with them. It is high time we begin to conduct ourselves in more civilised and responsible manner.

osemwengie

They have their ways of attending to such issues so don;t be too fast

True Nigerian

May God give this grieving family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss, the loss of a very young and enterprising officer, who until Saturday had a promising future ahead of him. My heart reaches out for a young widowed wife and a daughter who will never know her father.

Amina

This is callous, how could the Nigerian Navy allowed the immediate family to learn of the demise of their son from the media. They should have inform them immediately.

I agree with you. The world over, the names of the officers involved would not be made public until the military had personally informed their immediate families. Its is a shame. I am not even sure the Navy has visited this family. May his soul RIP and may God give his wife and family the grace to bear the loss

@ Olujay, you said it correctly, they commisered with the other two families but refused to commiserate with the families of those who died in active service, Does it mean we have superior and inferior lives? To me, all lives are important inrespective of who ever that was involved. Our leaders should try to appreciate lives of those who served them deligently, the two pilots died while in active service, so they should be appreciated more than any other person.

Very sad indeed.May God give the family the fortitude to bear the great loss.

Uzoma

One was thinking that the Military (irrespective of the arm) still has the high sense of responsibility for which it was noted. How can parents whose son died in active service get to hear about it on radio? What happened to telephone and or official visit since the Navy has an office in lagos. It is not fair.

Jide Ajao

It is unfortunate and pathetic that the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Government did not see anything fit in informing the families that offered their wards to the service of this nation of their demise. Think of it, Sowole’s parent heard it from news, probably same with his wife. The other pilot’s family might have heard it in similar version and no one is even talking about the military aid of Mr. Azazi. Bayelsa declare three days mourning for a non government official, Kaduna declared seven days for their ex-governor. Where is Sowole from? and what has been declared for him or on his behalf. What of the other pilot Mohammed Daba? where is he from who have declared days of mourning to honour him in his own state and what about Warrant Officer Kamal? These are people that died in active service. Mrs Jonathan cried in Yakowa’s House, Tinubu visited Azazi’s family, Mark, Tambuwal condoles with Yakowa and Azazis familes, PDP shocks of the two gentlemen’s death. These and many more are the headlines since that Saturday. How I wish I’m in the political circuit, and pay condolence visit to the family of Daba, the widow, daughter and aged parents of Sowole, and also the Kamal family to let them know that Nigeria appreciate their sons. May be I am selfish by not mentioning Tosho’s family, he belong to the political circuit and they are the one that ought to remember him, but I am more concern about the men that was ordered to do what they did that led to their sudden exit. No word have come from any politician to that end. Ibikunle Amosun have not identify Sowole’s name to his state, neither do Fasola pay visit to his parents that lived in Lagos State. God is watching all of us and He will judge. The life of some Nigerians becomes collateral for others.

Olutayo

For God’s sake when shall we be careful enough to disseminate this type of information to the affected first before it becomes public consumption in Nigeria? Let relevant agencies learn from this and take ameliorating steps.

taiwo

May the gentle soul of Co-pilot Sowole and all the victims rest in perfect peace

kenny

may his soul rest in peace, May Almighty God be with the family left behind and the little girl of His

My condolences to the families of the lost ones. However, I totally disappointed with the comment made above by one ‘salvage’. For someone to link this incident to any ethnic or religious agenda, that person is either ignorant or a frustrated hopeless soul. Accident of this nature can happen any where, any day and anytime. No one knows where, when, how and the time he/she will die. Characters such as ‘salvage’ with ethnocentrism disease, should learn how to express views on electronic media.

Gabriel

Rest in perfect peace. Its your destiny. May God protect the family you left behind.

@nadeem, i cannot trust d suicide bomber/boko haram pilot no mata wot view anyone has. it may be his handiwork or otherwise. and maybe u’v forgotten that most people on board are christians and especially the governor dat has faced so many persecution in the recent past. May God rest the souls of the faithful ones sha, cos not all departed souls can rest in peace if their work is evil.

Lolly, your submission is in very bad taste. A pilot died in a helicopter crash, and you are sure he killed himself to kill other people. Please, a pilot and senior military officer is not a riff-raff, low-life. This man has a family. He has a wife and children. Why should he want to die? Please let us be careful and not gloat over the death of innocent people. I’m sure none of these men wanted to die. The fact that he might have been a northerner or a muslim did not automatically make him a terrorist. It was a crash, it was an accident. That flight was said to be their 15th flight of the day. Why didn’t he crash it earlier? Let’s be reasonable pls.

oba

I am surprised that Nigerians forget easily, since this sad events occurred, i have carefully listened to nearly all commentators and read almost all news articles concerning it but no one has mentioned the likely reason why the chopper has to go down. The simple reason is that Aso rock is too powerful to be told a “NAKED TRUTH” the way and manner in which the late NSA told the presidency and PDP that they are the BOKO HARAMS. He in patriotism stepped on the cobras tail so he must be bitten to death. I still remember Pa Rewane, Chief Ajibola Ige, Harry Marshal and a whole lot of them who speak the truth n were eliminated. The Abacha treatment is a code in Aso rock. simply put…. The chopper went down to treat General Aziza’s fuck up and to tell the whole world that a christian is not acceptable as a governor in any Northern Nigerian state. Unfortunately The pilots paid for what they knew nothing about. May their soul rest in peace!

AMAH

my heart felt prayer is that my God knows the heart of every man and knows how to reward each person. but there should be proper investigation towards the crash. but mind you nothing is secert b4 God.may God comfort all those that lost there family heads and give them the heart to bear the lost in Jesus name.once more every body no matter ur religions needs to pray. for our beloved country Nig.

Concerned Nigerian

I have wondered when it was going to be that we would hear the story of the young Navy Lt. He is human too and has a family, but it took four days to hear his story. May the souls of all involved rest in peace.

All those insinuating different scenarios of who sabotaged what, should spend their energies praying for God to expose those who caused it instead of accusing people without evidence. Oh God please expose all those who have no love for our country.